Spartan Softball
Saturday (Senior Day): NSU vs. Hampton (DH), 1 p.m., NSU Softball Field
Sunday: NSU vs. Hampton, Noon, NSU Softball Field
Live Video | Live Stats

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team will welcome rival Hampton to the NSU Softball Field this weekend and celebrate Senior Day on Saturday when the Spartans and Pirates begin a three-game conference series.
 
NSU and Hampton will play two games on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., with Senior Day recognition beginning at approximately 12:45 p.m. The two teams will finish out the series with a single contest on Sunday at noon.
 
Whoever wins the series will claim, at worst, a share of second place in the MEAC Northern Division and will be guaranteed the No. 2 seed from the North in the MEAC tournament that begins on May 12.
 
The Spartans will honor their three seniors before the doubleheader on Saturday in twins Megan Dunning and Heather Dunning and Whitney Williams.
 
Both live stats and a live video feed will be available.
 
The Pirates currently sit a half game ahead of NSU in the standings at 10-5, while the Spartans own a 9-5 record. NSU still has a makeup game left on May 7 against Morgan State after this weekend. The Spartans can finish as high as the No. 2 seed or as low as No. 4. Delaware State, which does not compete this weekend, has already wrapped up the regular season division title at 16-2.
 
MSU (7-7) will play a series against Coppin State this weekend and then hope enough shakes out between NSU and Hampton to potentially finish higher than fourth in the standings. The Bears need to win one more game to guarantee a spot in the MEAC tournament.
 
Hampton owns an 18-24 overall record this year, while NSU sits at 15-22 after dropping both games of a doubleheader on Wednesday at UMBC. Those two contests marked the last true road games of the season for the Spartans.
 
UMES and Howard, both from the North, will compete this weekend in a three game series to close out the regular season in addition to the Coppin State-Morgan State and Hampton-NSU series.
 
In the South, Savannah State and Florida A&M each own 10-2 records, with Bethune-Cookman at 9-3. B-CU and FAMU close out their conference seasons against each other, while Savannah State gets South Carolina State (2-10). North Carolina A&T (3-9) and North Carolina Central (2-10) also face each other with fourth place on the line.
 
Senior Salute
Heather Dunning and Williams are both four-year players for the Spartans, while Megan Dunning joined NSU in 2014 as a sophomore. Williams earned first-team all-conference honors in her freshman and sophomore years, while Heather Dunning was a second-team choice in 2014 during her sophomore campaign. All three have appeared on the AD's Honor Roll and/or the MEAC All-Academic Team at various points.
 
Williams, a preseason second-team All-MEAC honoree this year, currently ranks tied for third all-time at NSU in home runs with 20, two behind co-leaders Ursel Bruton and Lekita Wilson. Williams is also fifth in total bases (256), sixth in career hits (167), seventh in doubles (27) and eighth in at bats (511) while hitting .327 over her career with 99 RBI and 101 runs scored.
 
Heather Dunning owns a lifetime .349 average, including a .401 average her sophomore year that ranked 72^nd in the nation. She also stands fifth in career hits at NSU – one spot ahead of Williams – with 173 as well as 10^th in at bats with 495. Dunning owns career totals of 99 runs, nine doubles, 50 RBI and 25 stolen bases.
 
Megan Dunning has enjoyed her best season this year, hitting .288 with 11 doubles, two home runs, 16 runs and 19 RBI. She owns a career .259 average in 135 at bats with 31 runs, 35 hits, 14 doubles, three home runs and 26 RBI.
 
MEAC Rankings
Kayla McNair leads the MEAC in hit by pitches (14) while also standing fourth in on-base percentage (.504). Other NSU hitters ranked include Megan Dunning in doubles (2^nd with 11), Seana Moriarty in both sacrifice bunts (2^nd with eight) and walks (4^th with 20), and Williams in home runs (6^th with five).
 
Hunter Halford sits third in ERA (3^rd with 3.11) while Megan Przeslawski ranks seventh (3.94) and also 10^th in strikeouts (65). Marissa Marrero stands eight with seven wins.
 
As a team, NSU is first in the league in sacrifice flies (11), second in doubles (63), and third in walks (123).
 
National Rankings
The Spartans ranked third in the nation, prior to Wednesday's games at UMBC, in doubles per game at 1.80. They also stood 71^st in scoring (5.29 runs) and 74^th in double plays per game (0.37).
 
Individually, McNair ranked eighth in hit by pitches per game (0.40) and 64^th in on-base percentage (.504). Megan Dunning stood 16^th in doubles per game (0.38) and 95^th in toughest to strikeout (once every 18.5 at bats). Seana Moriarty also found herself 47^th in sacrifice hits per game (0.23).
 
Series History
NSU trails Hampton 51-65-1 in the all-time series after the Spartans took two of three from the Pirates last year. Prior to that, Hampton had won seven of the previous nine meetings between the 2013 and '14 seasons.
 
About Hampton
The Pirates have won six in a row, sweeping a pair of three-game series from UMES and Coppin State, after having lost the previous eight games before that. Pitching has been the team's biggest downfall, as Hampton enters the weekend with a team ERA of 5.55.
 
Allie Hotetz owns a 10-12 record with a 5.18 ERA in 140.2 innings of work. Jada Fields has started 15 games, five less than Hotetz, and has posted a 5-9 record with a 5.88 ERA in 75.0 innings.
 
Taylor McCoy leads all hitters with a .362 average while adding 10 doubles and 22 RBI. Hope Sobelewski leads Hampton with 29 RBI and 32 runs while adding 11 doubles, four home runs and a .353 average. Diamond Ponds (.313, 32 runs), Danielle Budden (.298, 28 runs, 16 RBI, 14 stolen bases) and Fields (.294, 25 RBI) have also provided offense for a team hitting .287 altogether.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will host Morgan State on May 7 to close out the regular season before heading to the MEAC tournament the following week. The contest against the Bears was postponed from an earlier date.